Measuring Customer Service

By Dan Fortinberry, CAPP

Many years before the advent of my parking career, I was charged with conducting client service visits and completing monthly client service reviews (CSRs). The CSR was a simple questionnaire that attempted to measure the effectiveness of our service delivery model by rating our service on a seven-point Likert scale.

Simple math would indicate that a 3.5 score would be considered satisfactory and the scores to either side would tilt the scale to better or worse. However, after studying and researching the reasoning behind the numbers, I found the only real scores that mattered were on the opposites sides of the scale. A one meant we were in trouble and a seven meant—wait for it—we were simply delivering the service we originally stated we would. I found that the difference between the original stated and agreed-upon expectations and the actual service delivery determined a high or low score.

This understanding has given me (and those who understand that the gap between expectations and actual service drives perception) a strategic advantage in the area of customer service. With this information, I strive to:

Set realistic expectations at the beginning.

Agree with the client or customer about the expectations.

Ensure those tasked with the service delivery understand the expectations.

Measure and track service delivery often.

Parking is a service and there are expectations—just ask everyone who parks a car!

Dan Fortinberry, CAPP, is parking division manager with the city of Cincinnati, Ohio.